Skate-blade guards



Oct. 4, l960` R. N. SKRAINKA 2,954,572

SKATE-BLADE: GUARDS Filed Jan. l8`, 1957 IN VEN TOR.. RALPH NICHOLAS SKRAINKA Wwf/UW ATTORNEY United States Patent O SKATE-BLADE GUARDS Ralph Nicholas Skrainka, Ladue, Mo. (7173 Delmar Blvd., St.`Louis 5, Mo.)

Filed Jan. 18, 1957,`Ser. No. 634,910

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-118) This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in ice-skaters accessories and, more particularly, to a skate-blade guard.

-Ice skaters, in order to protect the blades of their skates, ordinarily employ some form of blade-guards. Such devices are usually made of wood, leather, synthetic resins, rubber, or the like, and have a slot-like depression into which the blade snugly tits. `It is well known among skaters that it is essential to apply the blade-guards -immediately after leaving the ice because it dulls the blades to walk any appreciable distance away from the ice without the blade-guards. However, if the blade-guards are applied before cleaning, the dirt and grime will become lodged in the runner slot of the guard and produce an abrasive effect which will be equally damaging to the blades. Rags, wiping cloths, and Sponges, however, are unhandy for the skater to carry on his person, and frequently the skater either fails to carry a cleaning rag to the skating site, or loses it. Furthermore, cleaning rags are not always available at 4the skating site.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a skate-blade guard which is capable of conveniently holding a cleaning element.

It is another object ofthe present invention to provide a blade-guard of the type stated which is compact and convenient to carry, handle, and use.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. l is a perspective View of a skate-blade guard constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the skate-blade guard shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modified form of skate-blade guard;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of -another modified form of skate-blade guard embodying the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational View of another form of the present invention; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 6. v

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates practical embodiments of the invention, A designates a skate-blade guard comprising an elongated body member 1 made of wood, plastic, rubber, or any other suitable material. The guard A is provided on its upper longitudinal face with a relatively deep narrow slot 2 sized and shaped to house the skate blade so as to protectively house it without scratching or abradng it. At its forward end the body member 1 is enlarged and curved upwardly to form an arcuate fore-end 3, which is, in turn, provided with a large 2,954,572 Patented Oct. 4, 1960 ICC l circular `aperture 4 extending widthwise therethrough for removable, snug-fitting retention of a tightly rolled wiping cloth c, or other similar cleaning element. Attached at its ends to the rear portion of the body member 1 and extending arcuately over the-slot 2 is a coil spring 5 or other similar resilient securement element, which may be stretched over the rear end of the skate blade lin a conventional manner to hold the latter securely within the slot 2.

While actively skating, the skater can lay aside, in any convenient storage place, the blade-guard A with the associated wiping cloth c inserted in the aperture 4. When the skater desires to discontinue skating and leave the ice, the wiping cloth c is withdrawn from the aperture 4 and used to remove the slush, grime, and similar foreign matter from the skates. The wiping cloth c can then be rolled up and snugly inserted withinthe aperture 4 for future use, whereupon the cleaned skate blades can be slipped into the slot 2, and conventionally secured therein by means of the spring 5. It will be apparent that the wiping cloth c will not interfere with the walking and similar uses to which the blade-guards must be suitable. It will also be apparent that the wiping cloth c remains with the b1ade-guard A and is, therefore, always con veniently available for use and less likely to become lost.

If desired, it is possible to provide a modified form of a blade-guard B, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which includes a body member 1', a slot 2', an enlarged fore-end 3', and an aperture 4', all similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. However, in the modied form of the invention the aperture 4' is provided with a tubular sleeve 6 which ts tightly therein and is provided with a bore 7 formed by4 opposed inwardly tapering conical surfaces 8, 9. As seen by reference to Fig. 4, preferably the opposite ends of the sleeve 6 project laterally outwardly a short distance from the fore-end 3. The blade-guard B is used in the same manner as the blade-guard A, previously described, and the sleeve `6, by reason of conical surfaces 8, 9, provides a tight, retentive grip on the cleaning element c'.

It is also possible to provide another modified form of blade-guard C, as shown in Fig. 5, which is similar to the bladeguard A of Figs. 1 and 2, except that its enlarged fore-end 10 somewhat smaller than the enlarged fore-end 3 and has no aperture therethrough. However, in this form of the invention the rear end of the body member 11 is enlarged and curved upwardly to form an enlarged arcuate rear end 12, which, in turn, is provided with a large circular aperture 13 for reception of the cleaning element.

-In another form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a blade-guard D is provided with a body element 14 and an arcuate fore-end 15 having an aperture 16 therein, all similar to the blade-guard A, previously described. Snugly secured in the aperture 16 is a sponge-like cleaning element 17 having arcuate outer ends 18, 19, which project laterally outwardly from the fore-end 15. If desired, the sponge-like element 17 may be molded or otherwise integrally formed with the blade-guard D.

In using the blade-guard D, the body member 14 may be grasped and used in the manner of a handle, whereupon the outer ends 18, 19, of the element 17 may be used to remove dirt and grime from the under side of the skates.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the skate-blade guard may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A skate-blade guard comprising an elongated body having a narrow blade-receiving slot extending lengthwise ltherealong, said body also terminating in an enlarged arcuate end portion, said arcuate end portion having an aperture extending widthwise therethrough for receiving and snugly retaining a cleaning element.

2. .A skate-blade guard comprising an elongated bodyV ture extending widthwise therethrough, and a tubular l sleeve snugly tted within said aperture for receiving and snugly retaining a cleaning element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kerr June 20, `I-Iakins Oct. 26, =Hood Dec. 16, Buckley Dec. 30, Tierney Ian. 14, McVeigh Mar. 17, Barnard Nov. 28,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Dec. 23, 

